The future queen of Norway misses her dog the most while she’s studying in Australia, calls her mother when she’s having a bad day, and jokes that her grandfather, King Harald isn’t digital in a new interview.
Princess Ingrid Alexandra sat down with NRK for a wide-ranging interview to talk about her studies at the University of Sydney, how she views her future as Norway’s first queen regnant in modern times, and candidly speak about family life.
Addressing the arrest of her older half brother, Marius Borg Hoiby, Princess Ingrid Alexanra said that it was difficult “as a sister” and for her parents and those affected by the case, but she stops herself before she can delve further into the topic, with an apologetic “I don’t know if I want to go into it much more than that.”
But while she’s hesitant to talk about her brother, she does reveal that she calls her mother, Crown Princess Mette-Marit often, and speaks of the strength she shows living with chronic pulmonary fibrosis. “Of course it’s hard to be far away,” Princess Ingrid Alexandra said. “I’m proud of my mother, who has an incredibly strong will to stand up now.”
She also reveals that it’s Queen Sonja who mainly keeps in touch on behalf of her paternal grandparents, as she’s “very good at sending long messages on behalf of both her and Grandpa [King Harald]. She then explains what they are doing and sends pictures, so we definitely keep in good contact.”
As for King Harald’s texting and emailing skills: “He helps send, but he’s not good at writing long messages. He’s not that digital.”
Princess Ingrid Alexandra, who goes simply by Ingrid while at the University of Sydney—and uses Alexandra as her surname, if required—said that she chose to study in Australia because she felt it would be nice to have an international perspective while studying international relations and political economy.
The students don’t talk much about monarchy, according to the future queen. In fact, she says it’s only discussed as a form of government, but Princess Ingrid Alexandra feels that the her degree will help her with the job of Queen of Norway.
“It is important to have a basic understanding of the political system, of international relations, and how things work. And you learn an incredible amount from just being in conversations, having good discussions where you even disagree. I think that will be very important for me in the future as well.”
She says that she didn’t choose Australia because of its distance from Norway, and chooses skiing in Norway over surfing in Australia when prompted. But she says that Sydney “was the right choice for me. They have an incredibly good university with good teachers and a nice student environment.”
The future queen isn’t currently involved in any student groups, but she does attend a lot of panel discussions and alumni meetings to hear from different perspectives. She also lives in student housing at the campus.
Princess Ingrid Alexandra says she enjoys exploring new areas of Sydney, though “I haven’t explored as much as I’d like yet.” She’s not deterred by this though, as she says, “I’m here for three years. I’m enjoying it incredibly well—it’s a beautiful city, and there’s a lot to discover.”
The exam period begins on 17 November, and Princess Ingrid Alexandra reveals that she’s feeling some nerves.
After that, she’ll return to Norway for the summer holiday, and where she says she hopes to do a little bit of work. While she’s a full-time student, she’s not expected to carry out royal duties and only attends state events that she’s present for. Prior to attending the University of Sydney, the future queen did a stint in the Norwegian army with the Engineer Battalion in Brigade Nord, attaining the rank of Private.
